


oh you know they LOVE to dote on the kid

by coolcrocs



Series: i met god at the dog park (hlvrai deities au) [3]
Category: Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Cute, Gen, M/M, Other, anyway joshua has a big family that loves him so much it's unreal, because that's the series folks, but it is also, imagine watching a baby grow up couldn't be me., that's it it's just a cute fic :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:46:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27706460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolcrocs/pseuds/coolcrocs
Summary: Joshua John Freeman is a very lucky child. After all, not many children can say that they have a whole family of Gods looking out for them.
Relationships: Benrey & Joshua Freeman, Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Bubby & Joshua Freeman, Darnold & Joshua Freeman, Dr. Coomer & Joshua Freeman, G-Man & Joshua Freeman, Gordon Freeman & Joshua Freeman, Joshua Freeman & Sunkist, Joshua Freeman & The Science Team, Tommy Coolatta & Joshua Freeman
Series: i met god at the dog park (hlvrai deities au) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901581
Comments: 23
Kudos: 124





	oh you know they LOVE to dote on the kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And who might you be?

A baby is born in the late spring, and by all appearances, he is a regular child. He has ten fingers and toes, and he squirms in his father’s arms as he holds him for the first time. But feeling the warmth and comfort around him, he nestles into his chest, content to settle down.

“Oh my gosh.” Gordon’s voice shakes as he speaks, staring down at the bundle of joy he’s holding with tear-filled eyes. “Hey there, little guy.”

Silently, Benrey slides up next to Gordon, brushing a finger against the baby’s face. The sudden contact, though, causes him to flinch and turn his head further into Gordon’s chest.

“You want to hold him?” Gordon asks his husband.

“I-” Benrey gets nervous immediately, glancing down at the baby and then back up at Gordon before nodding resolutely. “Yes.”

Gently, Gordon shifts the baby into Benrey’s arms. He kicks a little bit, but eventually, he calms down and looks up at his parents.

“Fuck,” Benrey swears before he can stop himself. “Gordon, he’s… he’s so small.”

“I know, right?” Gordon chuckles. “Listen, about his name…”

Pretty much since the moment they decided to have a kid, Benrey had been insistently throwing the name Josh into the list of contenders. Gordon wasn’t _entirely_ thrilled by the concept of naming their potential son after Benrey’s imaginary Gamestop friend, but, well…

“I think you were onto something,” Gordon admits. “Joshua is a great name.”

Benrey’s eyes light up, just as the baby giggles for the first time in his life.

“Oh, do you like Joshua?” they ask, bouncing him slightly. Once again, the baby laughs, gripping onto the shirt of his parent.

Gordon sighs, reaching out and gently cupping the baby’s head. “This is probably going to be the most spoiled kid in the whole world.”

Benrey pouts. “What makes you say that?” they question, head slightly tilted.

Before Gordon can even explain himself, though, they’re interrupted by the door to their home flying open and a large dog bounding in. Sunkist plants herself at Benrey’s feet, tail wagging at the speed of light as she looks up at the bundle in their hands expectantly.

“Sunkist!” Tommy shouts, not far behind. “I’m- I’m so sorry, she slipped past me, and-” He suddenly stops, gasping. “Is that the- the baby?”

“Spell’s done,” Gordon confirms. “Wanna go get the others?”

In an instant, Tommy’s back out the door, calling for Bubby, Coomer, and his dad to come see. Benrey, meanwhile, glances down at the dog.

“Should introduce them,” Benrey states, and Sunkist begins to wag her tail even faster. “It’d be polite.”

“Be careful,” Gordon warns them. With a smirk, Benrey sits back down on the couch, settling Joshua in his lap. Almost immediately, Sunkist is greeting the newborn nose-first, sniffing and offering him a few sparse kisses. As a result, Joshua starts fussing, causing Benrey to draw him back and hand him off to Gordon.

“This is probably our last quiet moment with him before everyone shows up,” Benrey notes.

Gordon stops his doting on the baby to listen. In the distance, he can hear the approach of the others, Coomer’s laughter mixed with Tommy’s speech. Certainly, he thinks, the sheer volume alone is going to make Joshua cry. With a smile, Gordon brings his son close to his face.

“They’re gonna love you,” he whispers to Joshua. “So much.”

Joshua only coos back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay. i know i disappeared on this au. i know i started two other fics since this au last updated, both of which are ongoing. i know i have AT LEAST two more fics planned for this au, and i have thought about a potential "proper" sequel (no promises, it may just be a one-shot post-canon).
> 
> but hey. it's joshua. who can complain about joshua.
> 
> also, since this series has updated, i changed my name on tumblr. so if you follow those links, you will theoretically get nothing. so instead, follow [this link](https://jewishsunkist.tumblr.com/)!


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